There is no doubt in my mind that for most of us this winter and Christmas period will be difficult and challenging. After a prolonged period of low interest rates and inflation, any upward increases would come as a shock.

As we prepared for a post-Covid period of restored growth along came the horror of Russian aggression and the devastating impact that has had on fuel and food prices.
The lessons learned from this illegal activity must be that we maximise our levels of energy self-sufficiency – and I am clear in my view that this can only come from renewable sources – as well as boost our food production security.

Covid and Ukraine has underscored some inherent weaknesses in many advanced economies highlighting over-reliance on unfettered global supply chains. They work fine when the weather is set fair, but disruption follows hot foot when a squall develops. Important lessons that we must not fail to remember and rectify whenever ‘normal’ returns.
As regular readers will know, I am, by nature, an optimist. Without being Col Blimpish I do believe that there is something deep within our British DNA that forces us to weather storms and rise to the challenges. Our strong networks of community groups, charities and personal acts of goodwill illustrate this. Against the backdrop of troubling financial times, some £35m was still raised this year by BBC Children In Need.

As a country we seek to do all we can to ease the hardships of others as we are seeing in Ukraine and elsewhere. Perhaps uniquely for a small island we are incredibly outward looking, global and internationalist in obligation. Perhaps this comes from our relations forged through Empire and evolved into Commonwealth, our permanent seat on the UN Security Council or our membership of NATO? Where other countries incline to the introvert, we shoulder our responsibilities and continue to believe, rightly, that Britain has a role to play in the world.

So, as we all manage our personal difficulties this year, and I do not seek to diminish them for a moment, we can all give thanks that we are so much better than so many of our brothers and sisters across the world.
The NHS is not without problems, but it continues to be there for us and free at the point of use. Free speech, liberty, a free press and independent judiciary help safeguard our liberties. Our children access their education. The Welfare State continues to provide a vital safety net. Local councils maintain services and help so many local people. Our police and armed services strive to provide the protection and security we need.

Let us contrast that with so many other countries in the world. Let us ponder war-torn Ukraine, drought-blighted Somalia, liberty-suppressing China and so much more. Countries without health care or the sophisticated network of social supports we can call upon, where police and military are agents of the despot rather than servants of the people. Where a fair trial is a fairy tale. If we reflect on these, our own problems are contextualised and, perhaps, alleviated.